31.1 tickled down the leg side! Ireland break Ibrahim's resistance, as Afghanistan keep sliding. Ibrahim walks without any consultation with his partner, as he got a little inside edge. Well taken by Tucker, who tumbled to his left, while almost being blinded by the batter. It was a length ball which was angled in, and which pitched on middle and kept heading down, with Ibrahim looking to clip 90/6

6.3 taken at second slip! Balbirnie there almost seemed to be caught by surprise in real time, though. Adair went wide of the crease, and angled this fullish delivery into the right-hander. The ball landed around off and moved away, as Noor's attempted drive only resulted in an outside edge. Adair gets his first wicket, as Ireland strike early to end Noor's struggle 11/1

6.6 ahh, bowled next ball! Almost as if Adair wanted to avenge what happened last ball. The ball hits the side of the off stump, as it goes in the gap between bat and pad. Adair angled this one in, bowling on a length on middle and off. The ball, though, straightened away towards off, as Rahmat seemed clueless while half-defending at it from off stump. Adair gets two in the over, as Afghanistan seek a restart 11/2

21.5 Is that strangled down leg? Umpire says yes, Hashmat reviews. Back-of-length ball down leg at 128ks. It was banged in and skiddy, didn't bounce much. Came up to just above the knee roll. Hashmat was inside the crease, opened the face fully and tried to help it leg side. There is a murmur with the ball next to the sticker of the bat as it passed. So, Hashmat has to go. McCarthy has some luck and his maiden Test wicket! 66/3

28.3 Gurbaz gives it away! Good catch by Tucker too, as he went low with the ball dipping on to him. Adair went on the shorter side of a length, although the ball didn't entirely seem to get up. The line was wide too, with Gurbaz looking to slash. He got a faint bottom edge, with the ball dying on to the keeper, who completed the take nicely 86/4

29.5 bowled him! Young has another, as Jamal is almost shaken there. This hits the top of middle, as Jamal looks to clip this with only a half-closed face of the bat. The bounce on this pitch has been true throughout the day, and Young went on a length on middle, getting the ball to angle in. Jamal missed, and the ball sneaked through the gap between bat and pad 89/5

36.4 now taken by second slip! This is pretty simple, and Zia's stay of hit-and-miss ends. Adair went on the fuller side of a length on off, angling it into the right-hander. But the ball moved away after pitching, and Zia went driving at it with an angled bat outside off. He got an outside edge, and Balbirnie gobbled it up 111/7

49.4 Is that out? Yeah. Naveed's slogging ends tamely, McBrine takes it at mid-off. Campher into the wickets. Pre-meditated shot. He charged down and tried hacked across the line but the length ball came into him to deny him room. He couldn't get it on the up and got it off the bottom-quarter of the bat for an easy catch 138/8

49.6 Campher needs just two balls to nick off Njat. Pitched right up, angled in and Nijat played for it to come straight. The ball, however, swung away and left the batter opened up. He tried to block straight, got an edge. Keeper takes a low catch. Pacers now have all nine wickets! 138/9

54.5 clips off stump! That is also five wickets for Adair. Superb bowling, as he angles this in from around the wicket to the left-hander. He pitches it on the shorter side of a length around off, with the ball hinting to straighten and hit the top of off stump as Zahir looked to poke but missed 155/10

9.1 chopped on! Naveed begins his celebrations again, and this time they will be for real. Moor is walking back, and it is not a no-ball too. He looked to ride the bounce of this short-of-a-length delivery outside off which was shaping back in. It almost cramped him for room, and he got into an awkward position in looking to flash it, eventually getting a bottom edge on to middle stump 32/2

3.6 Afghanistan are celebrappealing, and it is given out lbw. Balbirnie consults his partner, and reviews at the last second. Fuller side of a length on off from Naveed, as it came back in to hit Balbirnie low on his front pad. The impact seemed to be on middle and leg, as he was beaten on the inside edge while looking to flick. Yup, ball tracking confirms that the ball would have hit the middle of leg stump. Balbirnie departs, and takes with him a review 6/1

26.1 Nicked off. Zia, from around the wicket, denies Campher a fifty. Fullish ball drifted in, lands in line with middle and off before turning away sharply. Campher tried pushing it to cover off the front foot but could only feather it to the keeper. Too good a ball and Afghanistan have a late breakthrough. 92/3

35.3 Big appeal for lbw, looked tight and the ump waits a bit before giving it out. Landed on a length on fourth stump and decked back. It was essentially an offspinner at 130-plus kph. It beat the attempted on-drive and hit Tector flush on the outer-part of the knee roll. Looks out. Yup, and Hawk-Eye confirms it with three reds. Brilliant bowling. Tector didn't get much strike but was looking assured. 106/5

28.2 And Zia bursts the bubble, hits top of off to send the nightwatcher back with fewer than ten minutes to stumps! Length ball drifted in and pitched around leg, van Woerkom tried to cover the line and play it straight, but the ball ripped away past the edge and smashed the stumps. Big celebrations as the close-in fielders swoop in. Ireland ahead but Zia's helping the hosts claw back. 94/4

57.4 bowled him! Zahir makes up for his mistakes, barely seconds before lunch. The change of ends works for Afghanistan and Zahir. Despite getting hit for a boundary earlier this over, he wasn't afraid to toss this up again. Except that the line of this ball is much better. It lands full on off after dipping on, with Stirling defending from off stump, only for the ball to turn back in and find the gap between bat and pad to strike the middle stump 186/6

68.3 Tucker reaches out for the cover drive and edges to slip. No fifty for him. Looped up on a fullish length outside off, Tucker strode across and didn't check the shot. He wanted to push it through the gap and got a thinnish edge due to the turn away. Low catch, went slow too, for Rahmat. First strike after lunch comes about 45 into the session but the scoring has been kept down. 216/7

83.4 skied to mid-off! Well taken by Naveed, who has to grab it with a reverse cup above his head even as he was moving back. The first ball from the change of angle gives Masood the wicket. He angled this in from around the stumps, and bowled on a length on middle and off. McBrine stood with his front leg out of the way, and went lofting with a fairly horizontal bat. The ball took off from the top half of the bat, and resulted in his dismissal 263/10

75.2 Zia and co have to appeal only for a bit, before the umpire rules Adair out lbw. However, Adair still reviews almost ruefully. He went to sweep at this tossed-up ball which was dipping on to him on a full length on middle, and barely hinting to straighten away. There's no bat involved as he looked to sweep, and was thus hit on his back thigh. And replays confirm that the ball would have actually gone on to hit the middle of leg. So Adair goes, and Ireland lose all their reviews 242/8

79.3 Zia has five! Ireland don't have reviews left, so we are spared from that drama. Nevertheless, McCarthy was hit on his back pad as he went deep in the crease to try and defend. The ball just skidded through off a full length on middle and off, with no turn this time 256/9

6.3 Great catch at gully by Moor, Ireland celebrate. Ibrahim is unmoved. Umpires chat and send it upstairs. Replay is taking time. Was a wide length ball at 128ks that Ibrahim tried steering behind square. The first replay, from behind square leg, shows Moor leaping low and pluckng it off his left hand. His knees were bent, the left hand went low and he came up with it. He was confident right away. Looked good and the third umpire gives it. Against the run of play somewhat but Ireland manage to break through early 24/1

26.5 spooned to gully! The extra bounce comes into play. He has Noor leaping a little in the crease, as the ball is fended to Adair. McCarthy bowled on a short of a length on fifth stump, with the ball climbing sharply and also angling into middle to cramp Noor. He ended up being caught by surprise, with the ball lofting towards gully 93/3

8.4 Channel ball is good enough, Adair scratches him off. Gets him in both innings and Rahmat stands disappointed for a bit before walking. Mark Adair has the Dennis Taylor finger-wiggle celebration, notify comms. Was a fullish ball that landed around fifth that straightened a bit. Rahmat tried defending with low hands towards cover, it bounced a bit extra too and hi around the sticker on the way to the keeper 38/2

40.5 given out LBW! He reviews it. Length ball pitching outside the off stump and moving in with the angle from around the wicket. He is caught on the backfoot and looks to defend it. He misses and gets hit on the back pad. The replays show that the impact was Umpire's call and the ball would've gone on to hit the stumps. Breakthrough that Ireland desparately wanted 140/4

59.1 ahh, bowled him! This is happening very quickly. Afghanistan lose Gurbaz, and with him, most of their hopes. Young is actually on a hat-trick. The off stump was sent rolling, as Young found the gap between bat and pad. Young went on a length, angling it in and pitching on middle and off, before getting to straighten and beat Gurbaz's defence 174/7

45.5 top of middle! Shortens the length a bit. Originates on a good length outside off and comes in sharply. Jamal can't decide, whether to leave or to fend. Ends up pushing at it half-committed, and the ball goes through him to dislodge the poles 143/5

57.6 gone, chipped to short midwicket! Afghanistan's last recognised pair is separated, and their coach Trott sticks his tongue out. That was the only man placed close in on the leg side, and the ball went at chest height for a comfortable catch. Young bowled one fuller than the previous ball, angling it in and getting it to finish on middle. Janat went to hit with the movement, and ended up gifting a catch 173/6

70.1 and straight to second slip, hah! Full ball on off. Lands in a good spot, bringing the batter forward to fend. The ball turns away, takes the edge, and its a low forward catch for second slip. Zia Ur tried to play with the softest hands possible, but the slip fielder Balbirnie was very close for that very reason. Also his first Test wicket. 206/8

75.4 off stump knocked back! That's all over for Naveed, and Afghanistan are all out for 218. Full ball just outside off but shaping in. Naveed tried a big shot but missed on this occasion. Ireland need 111, the hallowed Nelson, to win their maiden Test. 218/10

71.3 stumps scrambled! Full ball on middle and leg. Nijat clears the front leg to hit it to the leg side. But it hits his pad and ricochets onto the stumps. Afghanistan lose their ninth with their lead only 99. 207/9

1.5 ahh, bowled him! Moor runs out of luck, as Afghanistan strike early. The off stump was pushed back, as Moor's front foot hardly moved. He tried to push forward at this fullish delivery which was angled in, and was beaten by the movement back into him, as the ball sneaked through the gap between bat and pad 8/1

1.6 gone first ball! Afghanistan and Naveed strike back-to-back to send some nerves Ireland's way. This one hit the middle and off, as Campher falls first ball. This pitched on a fuller length than the last ball, and landed just outside off, again shaping to come back in to beat his outside edge as he looked to defend 8/2

4.3 they are all up in celebration, and the whole side gets together after it is given not out. There didn't seem to be any sound, though, as they went up for a potential caught behind. But Shahidi reviews again. In fact, even the first replay indicates there is gap between bat and ball, but we'll see. Ahh, my ears need checking! UltraEdge indeed shows a spike, and Ireland lose their third. Masood went on a fullish length, while angling it into off. Tector went driving, with the ball shaping away after pitching, and just tickling his outside edge. But interestingly, I notice that there seemed to be a spike before the ball went past the bat. This could make things tense if the match goes all the way 13/3

12.6 out next ball! Full ball around off. Stirling gets forward to defend. But the ball turns away a bit, kisses the edge of the bat, and its a smart, low catch for first slip! Ireland 39 for 4! 39/4